Local history links

I forgot to ask in yesterday's post if anyone had watched the first of the new series of  Shetland on Friday night. I'm sure I read that it was going to be a separate story in each of the 6 episodes, so we were waiting for a rapid conclusion as it got towards 9.45, only to find it carries on next week. I didn't like the scenes of the boy stuck in the container- another thing to put me off travelling in lifts!

Another bright but cold day here today, we had to pop to Aldeburgh to the chemists ( first side effect of Cols's chemo - let's just say it's the opposite of Dash In A Real Rush Hurry Or Else Accident! and we've tried prunes!) so took the opportunity to look at the sea. It was incredibly clear ( not the sea, that was as grey as it always is) and you could see right out to the shipping lanes with the big freight carriers coming out of  the Port of Felixstowe and the wind turbines off the coast.

We drove up to the Slaughden end of Aldeburgh where the most  Northerly Martello Tower ( now a Landmark Trust holiday home) stands between the sea and the river behind it. That's an Anthony Gormley sculpture on top of the tower, not somebody about to jump off! The river doesn't run out at Aldeburgh but several miles away at Shingle Street

 If the sea was to break through the ridge on which the Martello tower stands, it would flow inland across the marshes and would flood much of Aldeburgh turning what was left into an island.

Looking out to sea by the Martello Tower, the huge rocks have been put there to protect the bank  (I can never get the horizon level!)

and turning round to look inland with the river Alde and the flat marshes that stretch inland for several miles

Home for lunch and more of the delicious soup mentioned in Fridays frugal list. I've just looked to see how much a tin of Heinz Cream of  Tomato costs, and it's 95p (though on offer at 50p a tin at Tesco and Asda) which wouldn't have even made 2 big bowls full whereas my recipe makes 4, tastes the same and costs no more than 55p.

This afternoon we'll be watching the first part of the final of the Masters snooker that's been on all week and tonight things clash - Call the Midwife, Snooker or Endeavor. A problem there I think.

Thanks for comments yesterday

Back Tomorrow
Sue

The days after Christmas

Christmas day was mainly wet so  on  Boxing day, which was bright we took the opportunity to pop down to Aldeburgh for a quick burst of sea air. The wind was very strong and the waves were crashing on the beach and rolling along the coast,

a new bank of shingle had appeared and the sea had gouged out  shingle several metres further inland than normal  in one area. We didn't walk far but then went back to the car through the town which was heaving with people as all the posh chain shops - Crew, Joules and Fatface were open with sales happening. Of course we joined in the madness, dashing from shop to shop and coming out with carrier bags full of clothes.................................. No we didn't. We just came home.

I decided  to watch the series Dickensian, despite Col saying that the trailer  looked like a Victorian episode of Eastenders. The first two half-hour parts were on Boxing day and I enjoyed watching, though I could do with a Dickens Who's Who to tell me which characters were from which books as I only knew the people from Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist.
A new series of Still Open All Hours started, still as gently funny as the old series with Ronnie Barker.

It was back to wet,wet, wet on Sunday - grey and drizzley all day but extremely mild. I stripped the chicken bits off the carcass, made stock,cooked some veg and made a couple of chicken pies and popped them in the freezer. We ate more of the ham and Christmas cake and with Col still having no energy we had another lazy day. Back to back war films and then in the evening it was the next two episodes of Dickensian.

Thanks for all the comments yesterday.
 I haven't got much to post about at the moment so I'll be back in a few days.
Sue

Grey Sea, Library Book Photo, House and Health

Col had to go to the doctors again yesterday so I went too and then we went down to Aldeburgh to see the sea. The wind was blowing along the beach so some big waves were crashing onto the shingle, although it was fairly calm further out

The weather was dull so there isn't a lot of difference between sea and sky, just a hint that the sun is up there somewhere.

Biked down to the village for the library van, hardly any books waiting for me this time,

  good job I have four left from last time and plenty on the bookshelves, but Novembers visit will be the last until January so I spent a while searching Fantastic Fiction to see if any of my favourite authors had new books out, then perused Amazon for more ideas and ended up ordering another 12 books ( thank goodness it's free) some will be ready for me in November but I may have to wait a while for the new Bill Bryson - The Road To Little Dribbling ( Good title). My request was number 143! Although they do have 60 copies so I might get it to read in January.

There may be news on the house selling, although not before Christmas and on the health front Col has to see someone at hospital next week to be told what they will do next with the blood problems, he is being fast-tracked - Just In Case. He was fit and well for 56 years but for the last 2½ years bit's of him have been going wrong all over the place!

Many thanks to people who commented yesterday.Sorry I've not replied individually

Welcome to Jeanneke, a new follower. Glad to have you along.
It's no longer possible to click on the picture of new followers to see if they have a blog so if any new followers write a blog that they think I would find interesting please leave a comment.

Happy Halloween to all ghosts, witches, warlocks and other scarey beings, it still strikes me as odd how Halloween hardly existed before supermarkets!! Work that one out.

Back in a day or three
Sue

Keeping the home fires burning and a walk on the beach

As it's looking unlikely that we will move before winter Col decided to ring the skip hire place on Friday and ask them for a load of scrap wood. One load or two they asked? We get it for free as they are glad to get rid of it.The first load which arrived just 15 minutes later wasn't very big

and we soon got it shifted into the shed. The second load was bigger and was delivered just minutes before we had 5 hours of heavy rain. So we left it out until late Saturday to dry off a bit before piling it up in the shed out of the weather.

Some of the wood is quite small and a bit rubbishy (old trellis) but one of the rules of  heating your home with free wood is Never say No!

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Aldeburgh beach was almost empty when we went down for a walk  on Saturday morning, the first picture is the view North with the dome of Sizewell B Power Station, 4 miles up the coast, on the left. The grey buildings are Sizewell A which is no longer in use and is being decommissioned. The village is Thorpeness which is just a mile and a bit from Aldeburgh,  from here that you can see how far Thorpeness Point reaches out into the North Sea because Sizewell looks as if it is miles inland.

The Power Station is where the n of Leiston is on the map

 and then looking South to the Martello tower in the distance. This belongs to the Landmark Trust and you can rent it for a holiday home

 

Is this a giant rock with a hole through laying on the beach or a small hag stone right up against the camera lens...............
 My thumb in the corner gives the game away!

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What does a good Dad do when he gets an urgent call from our youngest daughter to say their arrangements for getting to Stansted airport had fallen through and please could he pick them up at 2am to take them down to Essex catch their plane. Of course he said yes.
 So a bit of a disturbed night was had by both of us. I hope they have a good holiday!

Back when I've recovered  from lack of sleep
Sue

A catch up diary post

Goodness me, I've not done a proper diary post for days.

 So what's been happening here on the Simple Suffolk Smallholding?

On Wednesday the weather was awful, rain almost all day. I baked some of Cs favourite shortcakes  to put in  the freezer and a coffee sponge. I also used up the last packet of cake mix that arrived from Approved Foods in a free Lucky Box - chocolate cup cakes - oh dear not very nice. Actually of all the cake mixes I've had cheap from AF only packets of Morrisons carrot cake were good enough to even consider buying - although I never have.
C sharpened the chainsaw - the one problem with cutting scrap wood, it's sometimes very difficult to avoid hitting a nail. Then he went and baited our neighbours rat boxes.

Thursday morning was tidying up ready for the Estate agent bloke. In the afternoon C went over to our neighbours to drain the water from her watering system which is pumped from her well, while I wrote some more Christmas cards and letters.

Friday was spent chopping kindling, bringing some more scrap wood into the wood cutting shed and then cutting it up. I biked down to the library van and collected two bags of books to last us through to January. Kate-who-had-my-goats came and collected 20 bales of hay for the girls. She's got a billy goat staying with Izzy at the moment hoping for some kids in the spring. Having a Billy there is a bit of a shock for Kate who hadn't realised just how smelly they are.

Saturday morning the wind was from the east and it was one of the rare mornings when we could hear the sea from 4 miles away. It doesn't sound whoosh, whoosh, like when you are on the beach but a constant noise a bit like a central heating system. The weather/tide conditions are only right to hear it one or two days a year.
 C wanted to clean out the small chicken shed and move it to somewhere dryer, except the tractor couldn't get a grip so the shed had to stay where it was, while we wait for a hard frost or a week of drying winds.
I got on my bike and went down to the Annual Cancer Research Christmas Fair in Knodishall.  Last year all I found was the 50p Christmas decoration which I mentioned the other day as being the most viewed post on my blog - weird. Anyway, this year I found 2 small presents, a genuine old print of Great Yarmouth in a frame, some new oven gloves, and a bundle of Christmas cards - amongst them was one for a grand-daughter!.... maybe a bit of a wait before I get to use that one and I had 5 raffle tickets, I left the tickets with my phone number on but I won't hold my breath - not a lot of chance of me winning, I NEVER win in raffles! but  I did enjoy my free mulled wine and mince pie. Total spend for my morning out £4.50.
Lots of sport for C to watch on TV in the afternoon, rugby,darts and snooker. I wrote a few more cards and put the radio on in the craft room to see how Ipswich Town FC were doing. I found they had an early kick off so the match had already finished and they had won 1-0. Good news indeed and put them up to 2nd in the Championship. The town will get a  huge boost if they manage to get promoted to the Premiership, even better news later....... Norwich lost!

Sunday dawned grey and foggy, no work planned so we went down to Aldeburgh for a walk along the beach and back through the town

 The tide was very low and just  a few people about, one man fishing and a couple dog walking. More people in town as we went back  peering in the shop windows. Mostly expensive clothes shops and art galleries for the holiday cottage owners.
We drove back through Thorpness and stopped to look in the antiques and collectibles emporium. Spending for our morning out was nothing except for the bit of diesel.
A quiet afternoon planned before a busier week next week

Back Tomorrow
Sue

We went to see the sea

 Before I forget I must welcome Simple Living and Astrid on the Google Friends pictures. Also thanks to everyone for comments yesterday and the day before. I'm glad I'm not the only person who enjoys Strictly even if Cro dismisses it as only dancing! So it maybe, but I couldn't do it!

Instead of going to a boot sale we drove down to Aldeburgh to see the grey old North  Sea. It's just 5 miles away but we rarely visit. Cornish Chickpea had some lovely photos of the beautiful Cornish beaches that made me want to see our bit of coast  It was misty at home but clearer on the coast and the sun was just coming through the clouds.

Aldeburgh has a small fleet of fishing boats - 3 or 4, and the fish is sold from huts on the beach, the boats are towed down the beach by the tractors or rolled on rollers.

The tide was right out which is the only time there is a bit of sand to walk on. Walking on the deep shingle is really hard work! It was flat calm this morning with the sun just coming through the clouds, but even with the sun shining the sea is still grey and never the lovely colours of the Cornish coast. I took the photo from the top of the first shingle ridge.

Plenty of gulls on the shingle, the height and width of shingle is the only thing protecting the town from the sea, although the main risk of flooding is from the river which runs alongside and behind part of the town.

There's a Map here

Standing on the low tide line looking back up the beach to the houses along the prom gives some idea of the amount of shingle - the houses are three or 4 storeys high! Walking up the beach is like mountain climbing.

The very old Moot Hall. The Aldeburgh town council chamber is on the 1st floor and a museum below

Read about the Moot Hall here- if you want to!

When we got home and after a coffee C did  some garden tidying and I washed the rest of the pots that I started yesterday- another job finished and then spent AGES trying to get these 5 photos to load onto the blog. You wouldn't believe how slow our connection is here sometimes, drives me nuts!
The sun came out and the temperature shot up after lunch, so we sat out for a couple of hours, making the most of the late September sunshine. All the time I could hear a squirrel pinching the walnuts off our tree. I've picked up a few to bring in a dry but the blasted bushy tailed rat has had the majority.


Back Tomorrow
Sue